McDonald: Blackpool To Benefit From Paterson Ambition

Neil McDonald says Blackpool will benefit from Martin Paterson's determination to achieve an international recall this season.

The striker, capped on 22 occasions for Northern Ireland, agreed a deal with The Seasiders earlier this week and hopes his form in tangerine will seal a return to the international fold.

"He's got ambitions to get back into the Northern Ireland team, which is brilliant for us because if he's scoring goals for Blackpool then he'll probably get in the Northern Ireland team," the manager said.

"His attitude is going to be spot on and he's going to give it his all to score goals to get into the Northern Ireland team. He's trained for a good two solid weeks now and he's looking much better than when he first came."

The addition of Paterson means that five players are set to miss out when the match day squad his named on Saturday, giving the manager plenty of options to consider.

"We've got lots of options now to try and change things. The players seem comfortable in the formations that we've been playing but we've got to get over the line now and start winning some football matches, especially at home."

Two players back in the side after recalls are Tom Aldred and José Cubero, with the pair grabbing their opportunities with both hands in recent matches.

"Tom has defended really well and given us that bit of stiffness at the back and determination at the back. José is starting to get on the ball now and protecting the back four when we've not got the ball.

"We still need more out of everybody, not just them two, on the ball and off the ball, though. If we can get a little bit more than what we have done in the last couple of games then that will put us in a good position to try and get three points," he added.